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| Who We Are | |
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The Terrapin Trail Club is a student organization that sponsors various outdoor recreational activities, such as hiking, backpacking, camping, mountain biking, caving, canoeing, rock climbing, and kayaking. We are student run and our activities are available to all registered students, faculty, and staff of the University of Maryland. Our primary goal is to meet other outdoor enthusiasts and to provide a framework to share our love for the outdoors. We plan trips and activities for almost every weekend and most days of the week during the school year, and even longer trips over breaks. All trips are organized by fellow members of the club, experienced in Trail Club outings. Trip leaders are student volunteers, not guides or instructors, and are out to have a good time, just like you. Suggestions for trips are left up to the members of the club. Our main goal is to have fun. Each of our trips is an adventure. We offer trips for all experience levels, from someone who has never slept outside of a house to the accomplished outdoorsman. Beginner trips can introduce you to a particular activity, while advanced trips can help you hone your skills. One focus of the club is to pass on experience and knowledge to both beginner and veteran. We want everyone to take something new away from each adventure. If you want to enjoy the outdoors, we're the club for you! The Terrapin Trail Club was founded in 1937 by Elinor Cody and is the oldest active club on campus. We are also one of the oldest college outing clubs in the nation. Several current campus clubs have sprung from the Trail Club, including the Ski & Snowboard Club and the Cycling Club. |
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| What We Do | |
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The Trail Club participates in a variety of activites: |
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... and on occasion, several other sports such as skiing and snowboarding, white water rafting,
hang gliding, skydiving, bungee jumping, etc.
As mentioned above, trips are available for all skill levels. For photos of some of our adventures, check out our photo gallery. |
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| Meetings | |
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Meetings are a great way to meet fellow members of the club, and keep up to date on what's going on. Often, after the meeting a skill will be presented, or other useful information presented. In the past we have had presentations on basic wilderness skills, rock climbing basics, orienteering, gear presentaions, and many other topics. Meeting locations can change every semester, so check the website and/or the mailing list for updates. |
| Trips | |
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Of course, the main thing we do is organize trips. Trips are organized by club members who are experienced in that particular sport. Trips are generally announced by the trip organizer, both at the meetings and on the mailing list. The trip is also listed on the club calendar. Trips are generally inexpensive. Day hikes and the like will usually only cost a few dollars to pay for gas. Weekend trips range from a few dollars for gas to around $30 for some of our more elaborate trips. Special activities like white water rafting, skydiving, etc. cost more due to the need to go through an outfitter. To sign up for a trip, you must be a club member. You also must sign a Release and Informed Consent form and register and maintain a ttc.umd.edu account, which will allow you to sign up for trips online. |
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| Equipment | |
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The club maintains a large inventory of outdoor equipment for most all of the sports we actively pursue. Here's a list of some of the gear we have:
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Club gear is available for use on all club trips. The club can usually provide any gear you might need for a trip, including tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc. If you are required to supply any equipment for a trip, it will be noted in the trip description. The club is always buying more and better gear! Suggestions for new gear purchases should be sent to the officers. |
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| Membership | |
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Membership in the Terrapin Trail Club is open to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Maryland. Club dues are $10 per year. Funds from dues are put right back into the club in the form of equipment, expendables (stove fuel and batteries), down payments/deposits for big trips such as skiing and rafting, and up-front costs for branded items like t-shirts and water bottles, on which members receive a discount! Members may attend club trips, borrow club gear, and may be eligible for free or discounted First Aid, CPR, and other training courses.
To become a member, first Register for a TTC account. Fill
in the registration form, and wait for a confirmation email. Click the link in the email
to verify your account. Now you can log in to the site and update your information in the
club records. After that, all that's left to do is print out and sign the
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